If I'm not mistaken the casing of it is very, very hard (even for space missions, where it's designed to whithstand a failed launch and reentry) and takes a very long time to degrade
The argument you heard is correct. The casings are likely made of something that is completely unaffected by saltwater, the pressures involved are neither astounding nor even interesting in this context, and... marine organisms? Which ones? Harsher than a botched re-entry?